Cycling is about "Safe exercise" and "Safe low-emission travel" The Health and Fitness objective is UNDERMINED if the means of exercise is UNSAFE! This blog STRONGLY OPPOSES certain reforms VicRoads is currently considering: “cyclists could be allowed to treat red lights as Give Way signs. And the same could also APPLY at pedestrian lights."
Also "PERMITTING cyclists, riding cautiously, to proceed past a stationary tram;" "allowing teenagers to ride on footpaths"(Herald Sun)PDowe

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Community Safety Bushfires Victoria, Australia Ten-year high for people charged with lighting fires in bushfire danger periods The Age Online Dec 18th 2014

Ten-year high for people charged with lighting fires in bushfire danger periods

Nino Bucci

Crackdown: Police are laying more
charges than ever against people lighting fires on banned days, since
the horror that was Black Saturday. Photo: Craig Abraham

The number of charges for lighting fires on days of total fire
ban or during bushfire danger periods has reached a 10-year high, as
police crack down on the foolishness that has sparked destructive blazes
since Black Saturday.
There were 227 charges for lighting a fire
on a total fire ban day or in a fire danger period last year, an
increase of more than 17 per cent compared to the previous year and more
than five times the number recorded in 2010-11.
While most of the
fires raging in Victoria this week are believed to have started because
of lightning strikes, Emergency Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley
said some of the 350 blazes burning on Wednesday would have been caused
by people ignoring the volatile conditions.
"It wouldn't all be lightning. There would have been some foolish behaviour.
"It was a total fire ban day and a total fire ban day is a
restrictive day, a warning day not use farm machinery. It's against the
law to use those that will start a fire such as grinders, welders, so
on, so you hope people have taken strong heed of that."
Total fire
ban days are declared when conditions are considered dangerous, while
the Country Fire Authority declares fire danger periods for each shire
or council at different times in the lead up to the fire season. It
depends on the amount of rain, grassland curing rate and other local
conditions.
More charges for intentionally causing a bushfire were
imposed last year than at any other time in the past decade, while the
number of charges for recklessly lighting a fire was the second-highest
recorded in the past 10 years.
The total number of arson offences -
which does not include charges for lighting fires on days of fire ban
or during fire danger periods - fell to the lowest number recorded since
2004-05, with almost 500 fewer charges than in 2012-13.
While
most of the serious blazes last bushfire season were caused by lightning
or other accidents, such as falling power lines, police believe the
most destructive fires of 2012-13 were caused by recklessness, including
a deadly fire that started at Aberfeldy, in Gippsland, and fires that
destroyed property in Dereel, near Ballarat, and Donnybrook, north of
Melbourne.
Police have previously warned that the use of power
tools such as farm equipment, grass mowers and slashers is banned on
days of total fire ban or high bushfire risk.
Those found guilty of recklessly causing fires could be forced to pay the costs of fighting the fire and foot the damage bill.